Australian Firms Inject AI, Automation into Contact Centers

 Companies turn to outsourcers for access to new technologies, improving customer and agent experience, ISG Provider Lens^™ report says

SYDNEY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Enterprises in Australia are outsourcing contact center operations to take advantage of new technologies as well as to save labor costs, according to a new research report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The 2024 ISG Provider Lens^™ Contact Center — Customer Experience Services report for Australia finds that effective contact centers in Australia are combining traditional and innovative approaches for outstanding omnichannel customer service that adapts to changing customer preferences. Companies are automating processes for higher efficiency and cost optimization, embracing advances in AI and other technologies to continue this trend.

“The contact center strategies of Australian companies are now driven by senior executives,” said Michael Gale, partner and regional leader, ISG Asia Pacific. “They are sharply focused on integrated solutions that combine technology, optimized processes and workforce expertise.”

Technological advancements, new customer demands and changing workplace dynamics are forcing Australian enterprises to reassess their contact center operations, the report says. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, they have turned to cloud-based contact centers to ensure scalability, security and business continuity during times of crisis. This shift is expected to also increase demand for complementary cloud-based tools, such as unified communications as a service (UCaaS) and agent engagement features.

Companies are already adopting AI-enabled automation for routine contact center tasks, such as ticket categorization, query handling and customer data management, ISG says. This shortens response time and increases efficiency, allowing human agents to focus on more complex, value-added interactions. Also, AI applications such as speech and sentiment analytics have strengthened firms’ ability to gauge and respond to customer attitudes.

GenAI may be on the verge of significantly disrupting contact center operations, in Australia and other markets, as use cases proliferate, the report says. Among other things, it can help companies analyze previous interactions with consumers to customize responses and empower human agents with suggestions during live chats. Most of the GenAI use cases being developed are either mature proofs of concept or already implemented.

“AI, analytics and automation are transforming the contact center industry in Australia,” said Jan Erik Aase, partner and global leader, ISG Provider Lens Research. “GenAI is the next step to improving both customer and agent experiences.”

The report also examines other contact center trends in Australia, including the growing complexity of regulatory compliance and providers’ ongoing efforts to balance onshore and offshore operations.

For more insights into the contact center challenges faced by Australian enterprises, including the need to expand the talent search beyond local borders and the keen interest in leveraging technology to improve interactions, plus ISG’s advice for overcoming them, see the ISG Provider Lens^™ Focal Points briefing here.

The 2024 ISG Provider Lens^™ Contact Center — Customer Experience Services report for Australia evaluates the capabilities of 26 providers across two quadrants: Digital Operations and Intelligent Operations.

The report names Acquire BPO, Concentrix, Datacom, Foundever, Probe Group, Tech Mahindra, Teleperformance and TSA as Leaders in both quadrants. It names Genpact, TTEC and WNS as Leaders in one quadrant each.

In addition, Genpact and TTEC are named as Rising Stars — companies with a “promising portfolio” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition — in one quadrant each.

A customized version of the report is available from Probe Group.

In the area of customer experience, HCLTech is named the global ISG CX Star Performer for 2024 among contact center providers. HCLTech earned the highest customer satisfaction scores in ISG's Voice of the Customer survey, part of the ISG Star of Excellence^™ program, the premier quality recognition for the technology and business services industry.

The 2024 ISG Provider Lens^™ Contact Center — Customer Experience Services report for Australia is available to subscribers or for one-time purchase on this webpage.

About ISG Provider Lens^™ Research

The ISG Provider Lens^™ Quadrant research series is the only service provider evaluation of its kind to combine empirical, data-driven research and market analysis with the real-world experience and observations of ISG's global advisory team. Enterprises will find a wealth of detailed data and market analysis to help guide their selection of appropriate sourcing partners, while ISG advisors use the reports to validate their own market knowledge and make recommendations to ISG's enterprise clients. The research currently covers providers offering their services globally, across Europe, as well as in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the U.K., France, Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, the Nordics, Australia and Singapore/Malaysia, with additional markets to be added in the future. For more information about ISG Provider Lens research, please visit this webpage.

About ISG

ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 900 clients, including more than 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including AI, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,600 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry’s most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241009454387/en/

Press Contacts:

Will Thoretz, ISG

+1 203 517 3119

will.thoretz@isg-one.com

Julianna Sheridan, Matter Communications for ISG

+1 978 518 4520

isg@matternow.com

Source: Information Services Group, Inc.